Customer Reviews

Alive in America

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This record seems to be a litmus test for some listeners- particularly those who cannot bear hearing a band peform a tune any way other than *exactly* as they did on the record. That group will be severely dissapointed; Becker and Fagin are first and formost jazzers, and on this album they flex their jazz chops to bring some new color and style to their best known songs.

"Reelin' in the Years" is probably the cut that will bug the inflexible listeners the most; gone is that classic (Elliot Easton?) guitar riff, replaced by a horn section, and at a slower tempo, too. But it still swings, in a more sophisticated way. The first time I heard it I thought gee, they've taken away the best part of the tune, but now it's my favorite cut on the album.

"Babylon Sisters" is perhaps the closest to the recorded arrangement, but it too benifits from a slightly slower tempo and a jazzier feel. "Green Earrings" is still the ultimate in cool hipster music, and "Boddhisatva" loses nothing, even without the original guitar pyrotechnics.

In fact, the entire album swings in a way no Steely Dan studio album ever did. I love it.

I was looking around in a used music shop for some Donald Fagan albums a couple of months ago when I happened upon this little gem. Being a devoted Steely Dan fan, I decided to give it a try, and boy am I glad I did. I've now listened to it a number of times and it just gets better every time I hear it. That cool, jazzy sound that is inevitably Steely Dan is wonderfully accomodating for a live album such as this, with subtle variations on old favorites like "Reelin' In The Years", and a delightfully spontaneous drum solo in "Josie". Steely Dan generates a cool energy for this live album, and Walter Becker proves that Fagen is not the only one who can tear the roof off the sucker in his vocal performance of "Book Of Liars", my personal favorite.
This album is not just for the hardcore Steely Dan listeners. I would recomend it to anyone brand new to the funky, arcanic world of Steely Dan. And for those who already own every album, well, you can never have too much Steely Dan. A welcome new addition to any collection

I think that they should have had Denny Dias and Jeff Baxter play at some of the shows to capture the early flavor of their sound versus revamping as many bands do due to playing it for years (there are tapes from radio concerts in the early 70s out there), some of the original session musicians from the later albums, and presented it on 2 CDs because a lot is missing from it.

Although it isn't perfect, I'd say this is one of the better live albums I've heard. Yes, it might have been nice to capture some more of the banter between the band and the audience, but the factor I'm most interested in is the music--and that they do well indeed. At least the hilarious, intentionally irritating liner notes do a bit to capture the off-the-wall personality of the band, including snippets of the touring musicians' concert and travel experiences, among other things. The cover art is even a bit amusing--given that neither subject is "alive", or should be!

The tracklist was definitely well chosen, although I didn't really appreciate it until I actually listened to the album the whole way through. Some of the songs were not the ones I would have chosen for the CD, such as "Sign In Stranger"--and yet how well they turn out! My favorite tracks were the ones from Aja and The Royal Scam, and I was very glad to see them willing to venture into this material.

I also thought the vocals were excellent--Donald Fagen is someone who handles live performance as well as studio work, and sounds just as good either way. You won't have to worry about being disappointed--his voice is just as clear as ever. Mr. Fagen isn't the only good singer with Steely Dan, however. Walter Becker does a very nice job with "Book of Liars". I must applaud the band for the placement of this song midway through the album--it serves as a very interesting break. Even though Donald Fagen is the traditional voice of Steely Dan perhaps Mr. Becker should feel free to use his voice a bit more frequently; he's good at it!

The songs chosen, for the most part, were well-suited to live performance, and lost little in the transfer. Part of this is because Steely Dan does not overencumber itself in studio effects that cannot be replicated in a live setting. The only case where this happens is the very end of "Aja", where there was no effort to replicate the jaw-dropping synth effects, and that is one of the two reasons I couldn't award this album a 5th star. The second problem in my mind is the fact that they changed the pitch of "Josie". Yes, in its original pitch it's a bit close to "Green Earrings", but those who are musically sensitive may be thrown off at first by the change.

Overall, this is a solid live production with few flaws, that gets a good deal of playing time from me when I get in a Steely Dan mood.

Reviewers and fans did not exactly go ape over this album. But after a few years' time, it's clear this is a valuable addition to the Steely Dan discography, because it proves that songs like "Aja," "Babylon Sisters," "Green Earrings," and "Josie"--which were never performed live at the time of their inception because the Dan never toured then--are highly effective compositions. The studio versions are great, maybe superior, but there was always the suspicion that they were so fussed over, they would not survive replanting, being performed by different musicians, or airing out. The studio albums were made by a bunch of control freaks -- brilliant, creative control freaks. This album is made by a relaxed bunch of great musicians, inhabiting some great compositions that have their own logic and drive. The sense of revelation going back to one's first hearing of the studio classics? No, of course not. But this album is a great source of pleasure for even the casual fan.

When word came out that Becker and Fagen had indeed rejoined forces to actually tour, we were amazed, to say the least. Who would have expected that to happen? Anyhow, when they were asked as to why they would suddenly break with an almost lifelong habit of not touring, they said: Because we wanted to know what Babylon Sisters would sound like when played live.

Well, here we have it. And it sounds great. Slower even than the famous studio version, but just as impeccable and with a nice change in timbre. The rest of the disc (including such jewels as Third World Man, Aja, Kid Charlemagne) is equally impressive. These guys can really play, it wasn't all studio trickery what we heard back then!

Special mention deserves Reeling in the Years: surprising arrangement, superbly executed. I just can't believe they did it. And with such style at that.

If you like Steely Dan and have heard the many songs played on the radio - this album is for you. Completed as a compilation of live concert recordings, the band enjoys the freedom that live settings allow.

Heavy Jazz influence and long solo breaks make this album a must have. Track 2 and Track 4 are two of my favorites! This album has great sounds and timeless feel!

Enjoy!!

In my opinion, this is the best of all Steely Dan's output. It features amazing versions of my favorite tunes by some of my favorite musicians helping out. If you like these guys, you'll love this CD.

Imagine all the whoops, yells, and yee-hays from Steely Dan fans everywhere when they heard in 1995 that Walter Becker & Donald Fagen were putting out, at long last, a new Dan release. Now imagine all the groans from said fans when the new CD simply turned out to be a live album, not a brand-new studio offering (we would have to wait another five years until 2000's "Two Against Nature"). As it is, 1995's "Alive In America" is certainly a very good live set from Steely Dan, as Walt, Don, and their ace backup band deliver some very strong, faithful renditions of Steely Dan classics such as "Green Earrings," "Reelin' In The Years," "Josie," "Kid Charlemagne," and "Aja." The performances ARE great. The problem is, the CD is too darn short. I saw Steely Dan on their '93 reunion tour, from which some of these live tracks come from, and, at only 67 minutes, with just 11 tracks, "Alive In America" only represents about half of the concert. You're totally left hungry for more. Had this live set been a double CD, with the *complete* concert on it, then it would've been something truly special. I sincerely hope that Walt & Don will release a more expansive live set from their recent, outstanding "Everything Must Go" tour. Until then, "Alive In America" certainly makes for a nice little souvenir from Steely Dan's '93-'94 tours, but it could've been so much more.

At the time of this reunion tour release in 1995, I was still a relative newcomer to the electric and eclectic music of Steely Dan. A college instructor had this playing during a computer lab class and I was immediately sucked right in. I didn't get a chance to pick up a copy of this until this spring. Most certainly one of my favorite live albums and can be often heard blaring from my car.

A good majority of Steely Dan's classics are featured here and includes a couple of lesser known songs that were performed during their long long awaited reunion tours of 1993/94. One being a Walter Becker song Book of Liars. Walter is the vocalist on this one and uncannily sounds like Chicago's Robert Lamm. Standout performances include Green Earrings, Bodhisattva, Josie, Kid Charlemagne and Aja. Reelin' In The Years has long been a favorite of mine and I really love this groovy new arrangement.

Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and their stellar backing band more than deliver the goods in concert. This "Alive In America" collection is a must if your a fan (old or new) of the Dan.